Early Breakfast withRelebogile Mabotja

In light of recent students protests in Universities across South Africa, Friday Stand In Adam Habib discussed issues of inter-generational communication breakdown which makes it difficult to resolve current problems.

Habib spoke to Human Rights Lawyer and former Unisa Vice Chancellor Barney Pityana as well as Sizwe-Mpofu Walsh, member of the Rhodes Must Fall (RMF) campaign at Oxford University.

Both Pityana and Mpofu Walsh gave their views on the current situation in universities based on their experiences in different times.

Yes we did feel that it was necessary for there to be a new direction that needed to be taken and we were critical of what had happened before

Sizwe-Mpofu Walsh on the other hand agrees with Pityana that there should be a dialogue. However, the dialogue should start from a place of humility.

For young students, sure they have made some mistakes. Sometimes we can transgress the limits but in my view it is really the students that needs to be listened to.

— Sizwe-Mpofu Walsh, member of the RMF campaign at Oxford University

What we do need is the imagination, creativity and the boldness to imagine that young people in our society are actually pointing a way forward in a very chaotic and organic way. I think we need to be listening very carefully to their messages